Dawgs' biggest player also has biggest expectations

By Jonathan HullSports Writer

Published 10:45 am, Friday, August 19, 2011

Photo: Cindeka Nealy

Image 1of/1

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 1

Midland High defensive lineman Dutton Watson (89) tries to break through as he held back by offensive lineman Turner Ingle (70) Thursday during the Bulldogs Spring Game at Memorial Stadium. Cindeka Nealy/Reporter-Telegram less

Midland High defensive lineman Dutton Watson (89) tries to break through as he held back by offensive lineman Turner Ingle (70) Thursday during the Bulldogs Spring Game at Memorial Stadium. Cindeka ... more

Photo: Cindeka Nealy

Dawgs' biggest player also has biggest expectations

1 / 1

Back to Gallery

After winning its first district title since 1988 last season, expectations are obviously high at Midland High.

But perhaps no player on the Bulldogs roster has bigger expectations than senior defensive end Dutton Watson. That’s because when one watches the Bulldogs practice, Watson, who is listed on the roster at 6-feet, 3-inches and 240 pounds, naturally stands out.

“He’s big, strong and has good speed for his size,” Midland High coach Craig Yenzer said of Watson. “He has a motor, but has added technique to that. Every year and even in the spring, he starts playing faster.”

Watson passes the eye test in other words. But upon deeper observation, it becomes apparent the MHS senior captain has the intangibles that could make him a special player.

“Rightfully so, Dutton was elected one of the team captains by his teammates,” Yenzer said. “He’s a high character guy, is dependable, shows integrity and takes care of his business in the classroom. All of that means that you actually get to coach him all the time. He doesn’t have any of the outside things that bog some players down.”

Watson is coming off a strong junior season during which he recorded 39 tackles, nine tackles for loss and a team-high five sacks. He proved to be one of the most difficult defensive linemen to block in the district and the 3-5A coaches recognized his play with a first-team all-district selection.

But Watson, who has received letters but no official offers from colleges such as Texas Tech, TCU, New Mexico and Baylor, is far from satisfied with last season’s efforts. He said he believes there was a glaring weakness in his game as a junior and spent the offseason working to fix it.

“I went to a lot of camps this year and focused on my pass rush. I think that was the weakest point of my game last year,” Watson admitted. “I’ve gotten a little quicker on my feet. I feel like I read the linemen better.”

Generating a pass rush could be pivotal to the Bulldogs’ success in 2011. The only glaring hole in the Midland High defense as they enter the season is in the secondary where four new starters must be found.

Among the players who need to be replaced are safeties Blaze Wooten, Blake Bynum and Colton Edmondson, who were the top three tacklers on last year’s squad. Also cornerback Erick Callier is gone after being an unanimous first-team all-district selection.

“We need to get to the quarterback a lot more than we used to. We don’t have the experienced secondary like we used to,” Watson said. “Blaze Wooten and Blake Bynum aren’t back there anymore and those guys were powerhouses. We’ve got to get to the quarterback a lot faster to help out the secondary a bit.”

And while it’s clear what Watson’s goals are on the field, Yenzer has some off the field expectations of the senior as well.

“I think we’ll see Dutton become more of a vocal leader,” Yenzer said. “He’s always led by example, but I’m challenging him to become more vocal. It’s an expectation of him from a team perspective.”

Watson isn’t shying away from that challenge, either, and is taking it upon himself to make sure this year’s defense becomes as cohesive of a unit as the 2010 version.

“I feel like I need to get our defense together,” Watson said. “We’re not a brotherhood yet like we were last year. That’s why we had so much success. It’s something we’re close to having, but it’s not there yet and I feel that us bonding is important.”

And should that defense come together, it might be enough to get the Bulldogs a second straight District 3-5A title -- a feat that has never been accomplished in the program’s history. But Watson isn’t stopping there. He’s prepared to finish the season playing at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington in December.

“I feel like we can go to state,” Watson said. “I think we can beat the teams in the district. I think we match up with the other teams well. We’ve got a good coaching staff and there’s a lot of good football players on this team. Our expectations are very high.”